It's Thankful Season! It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays! Friends and family gather around, visiting, eating scrumptious food, and napping. Ok, well maybe it's just weird uncle Phil that takes a nap. Either way, with Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about gratitude. After all, should we only be grateful around the holiday's? The Benefits of Gratitude, As Told By SCIENCE! There are quite a few scientifically proven benefits to regular gratitude. I'll list just a few here for your benefit. 1. Gratitude opens the way for more relationships. According to a 2014 study, expressing gratitude by saying "thank you" made acquaintances more likely to seek a longer term friendship. So thanking people for things actually makes you more likable, and makes them want to know you better. 2. Gratitude can improve your physical health. In numerous studies it has been shown that grateful people generally feel physically better than ungrateful people. The feel less aches and pains, and gratitude can even increase your longevity. Grateful people also tend to work out more and take better care of their bodies. 3. Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces negative emotions like anger, regret, and sadness. It can also trigger positive emotions like thankfulness(duh), happiness, and pleasure. The combination of reducing negative emotions and triggering positive ones has an immediate positive effect on your psyche. It also can reduce depression. 4. Gratitude reduces aggression and increases empathy. According to a 2012 study, people who were grateful were less likely to retaliate, even when someone was being aggressive toward them. Grateful people were also proven to care more about others and didn't seek revenge. 5. Gratitude improves sleep. When you are grateful, your mind is more at rest and can sleep better. Simply being grateful before bed can improve the quality of your sleep immediately. 6. Gratitude improves self-esteem. In a 2014 study, it was found that gratitude improved athletes self-esteem and improved their optimal performance. Gratitude also reduces social comparison, which means you aren't comparing yourself to others near as much. 7. Gratitude increases mental strength. Studies have shown that gratitude can reduce the effects of PTSD, and help toward the permanent healing of those affected. It has also been shown that gratitude increases resilience, a trait many people lack. A Daily Thanksgiving Exercise The benefits of gratitude are overwhelmingly clear. So what can you do to practice gratitude daily? Here is a very simple exercise that I personally do daily. I hope you'll try it too! 1. Set aside a time in the morning right after you wake up, and in the evening right before you go to sleep.
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How I Got To NowYou know, lately I have been thinking a lot about the past, and how I got to where I am today. It certainly has not been an easy path, full of bumps, bruises, and more than a little bit of frustration. But it has all been worth it to get to this point, a published author by 16, first book published while 15. So, since I've realized I haven't really told my story yet on the blog, I've decided now is as good a time as any. So lets learn about how I went from hating writing, to being a published teenage author. It all started when I was around 8 or 9. I absolutely loathed writing. As it was put by my mother, 'it was weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth to get you to write a few sentences.' I was that bad. But don't worry, I am obviously MUCH better now. After all, I still manage to put out a few posts of writing a week and survive High School, don't I? But I digress. My mom got so fed up with my hatred of writing (which was surprising considering I'd loved reading since I was about 3 or 4), that she decided to do something about it. So she came across the fantastic Brave Writer curriculum and started to use that on me. It involved a lot more fun projects, one of which was the creation of your own fantasy map. And thus the world known as The Middle Lands was born. With this map came a few short stories about the history of this place, which if I'm being honest, were not very good. Fast forward a few years, and I went to a book launch for one of Richard Paul Evan's Michael Vey books. At this book launch there was a young woman by the name of McKenzie Wagner who had written and published her book Benotripia. I realized she was just about my age, and that made something in my mind click. I realized if this gal could write and publish a book, why couldn't I. At the daring ages of 11 or 12, I started work on Stones of The Middle Lands Book 1 with little to no plan and with my mom somewhat dragging me through the process yet again. Finally, I had a finished product after around a year of blood, sweat and tears. And nothing happened. The biggest thing that happened was we ordered a couple custom copies from a service called Blurb to satisfy our own pleasures. It stayed that way for years, until a fantastic coincidence occurred A little bit of backstory on my family. We are not big on "traditional schooling." In fact, I didn't even really do traditional preschool. My mom saw that I was already above the rest of the kids and decided to start educating me at my own level, instead of whittling my days away in the public school system. Since then we have bounced around different online charter schools, getting the best education we can, and participating in the occasional homeschooling co-op. Anyway, on with the story. Most folks may call it a coincidence, I consider it some form of fate or divine intervention. Either way, my mom was at a co-op for my younger brother when she got talking with one of the other moms there. She found out that this other mom recently started her own small independent publishing company. My mom mentioned that years before I'd written a book of my own, and this other mother asked if she could read it, just because. And boy did that lead me down a rabbit hole. My mother sending my first book to Teapots Away Press led me on my greatest endeavor yet. This other mother was impressed by the plot of the book, not so much the writing. She told us if I was willing to rewrite it with the better writing skills of a 15 year old, then she would be willing to publish it. Of course, we had to weigh what this would really mean, but we jumped on board, signed a contract, and got cracking. It took months of behind the scenes publishing stuff to get it all done. I had to entirely rewrite a 40+ chapter book, edit it, re-edit it, and finalize it, all while trying to survive my Sophomore year of High School. But we managed to do it. There was little to no rest for me, between school assignments, classes, and writing, there wasn't a ton of time for me to do "fun" stuff. But I was so excited to get going on this huge project. We used breaks to do vast amounts of writing and later editing done, which meant very busy Fall and Winter breaks. Yet we somehow managed to do it. While the process was often hard, it was also so rewarding. It was amazing to see creatures and places that had only existed in my mind until this point portrayed in professionally done artwork. It was incredible to have so much support from my friends and family, to see how excited they were for me. It made all the extra blood, sweat, and tears worth it. Finally, we reached the day. All the artwork was finalized, every word was as it should be, and I was so pumped. It was a dream come true to be a published author at 15, only a month short of my 16th birthday. In April 2019, just 4 months ago, my first book ever was published. Stones of The Middle Lands: The Castaway Hero was released into the world. I haven't experienced a ton of what most would call "success." To my knowledge, only around 50 of 60 copies have been sold yet. But it's a start, and I am so excited to see what the future will bring. So lets talk about that. What The Future Holds, and An Exciting AnnouncementThe future is a place of infinite possibility. It holds every opportunity, if we just decide to reach out and take it. After my first book was released, I created an entire road-map of what I wanted to publish all the way through 2032. I'm that excited. Now chances are that nothing will go exactly according to that plan, but a boy can hope to exceed it, not fall short. So here's what I see in the future, and then we'll get to the announcement. At this point in time, I see a lot of writing in my future, just week by week. I have committed myself to writing at least one blog post and one short story/poem a week and sending it out to all of you fantastic people. That alone keeps me plenty busy in addition to my Junior year of High School. But I also plan on finishing the Stones of The Middle Lands series before I graduate High School. That is my big goal. Beyond that, there is so much more for me to look forward to. I plan on going to college after serving a religious mission for a few years. As I mentioned, I have road-mapped out the books I plan on publishing for the foreseeable future. This includes some fantastic Middle Lands prequel possibilities, as well as further stories elsewhere in the world of The Middle Lands. But that's quite far in the future. For now, lets just celebrate the current announcement. BOOK 2 IS COMING!!!!!Oh yeah, you heard me right. The sequel to The Castaway Hero is coming, and its already well on its way. It is full of many new twists and turns, new foes and allies. So get hyped ladies and gents, its gunna be a whopper! I can't wait to get this book into your hands, but until next time, keep on writing!
It's Time For School! Yes, it is that time of year once again. School is starting back up, whether its Elementary, Middle, High School, or College, most people have returned. Now I personally absolutely love my school, and I hope you do to. But even if you do love school, you can always use some tips and tricks to help you get that extra leg up and help you survive the school year. So lets hop right into it! Find What You Are Passionate About!The first and in my opinion, best thing you can do to make school better is find what you are passionate about. What makes you get up in the morning happy and ready to face the day? Is it music? Writing? Science? I cannot recommend enough, find what you are passionate about, and pursue it. Take extra courses related to that topic, and learn everything you can about the subject. I have been lucky enough to find my passion for writing at a prime time of my life, about halfway through high school. So, go out there and find what you are passionate about! Schedule, Schedule, Schedule!I know many of you already have a quite tight schedule, especially those that are in "Public School." You may think you don't need any more schedule outside of your classes at your school, but this is wrong. You have homework, which takes time. So, what you need to do is consider how long each piece of homework will take you, then schedule out time for specific assignments, BEFORE the due date. Trust me, it will make a HUGE difference, and you will do a lot better if you know exactly what you should be working on. Take Breaks!While there may not be much time for breaks during school hours, when you are doing homework assignments, take breaks. A general rule of thumb I have come to know is a 45:10 ratio. Spend 45 minutes working on whatever schoolwork you have, and then take a 10 minute break. Grab a snack, play a few songs on the guitar or piano, just a good shift in scenery. Heck, go for a walk or do a meditation. If you give your mind a bit of time to rest, you can go right back at it with a renewed vigor. Switch To Diffuse Mode When You Get StuckWe were recently talking in my Pre-calc class about Focused Mode versus Diffused Mode. When you are working on an assignment, you tend to be in focused mode, where you get very one minded and not as versatile. This particularly applies to math, where you may be thinking "there is only one way to solve this problem", when in reality there are more ways to figure it out. So take a step back, do something that requires less brain function, such as playing a song, or watching a short video. Just be careful not to get distracted. Then return to the problem, and generally having switched to Diffused Mode you will be better able to think outside the box you were trapped in. Think About How Blessed You Are To Be In School!The last thing I cannot recommend enough is that you think about how blessed you are to even be in school. All around the world, many people would kill to get the education you are receiving, even at a grade school level. I recently read a book called I Will Always Write Back, about this young woman from the U.S. that becomes pen pals with a young man in Zimbabwe. Throughout the book, it is mentioned just how valuable education is to Martin, the young man in Africa, and the extreme lengths he went through to get a decent education. All true by the way. So consider how lucky you are to even be getting an education, and suddenly that essay won't seem so hard to do. To End.While school may not be everyone's favorite thing on the planet, it is incredibly valuable. I know this must seem strange to hear from a Junior in High School, but please value your education. Use these tips and tricks on a daily basis, and watch your knowledge fly! I hope this was useful, and you can go at school with a fresh and renewed vigor!
Hey, speaking of school, you know what goes with school? BOOKS! You know who has a great book? ME! If you want a nice, easy read that also has some great deep themes, check out my debut novel, Stones Of The Middle Lands: The Castaway Hero, out now on Amazon HERE and Barnes and Noble HERE. If you want some more writings, you should also check out my short stories Hunted: A Revolutionary Short Story and Unappreciated, Unloved, Unlived, on THIS page. Until next time, keep on writing! IntroductionHello all you beautiful people! I recently got back from a week long school camp out, during which, we did a decent amount of meditation. And I just fell in love with it! It made me feel so peaceful, and helped me focus so much. So, today I want to share with you the power of meditation, a few different techniques, and a few of the scientifically proven benefits of meditation. What Is Meditation?First, before we talk about more particulars, we should know what exactly meditation is. According to the dictionary meditation is to "think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation." So, to put it basically, it is focusing on something and kind of cutting out the rest of the world. So lets talk about some of the different meditations you can do! A Few Different MeditationsNow obviously I can't just list every single type of meditation here, but I will list a few I recommend you try. I would highly recommend you look up more types of meditation for your own situation.
A Few Benefits of MeditationNow we will go over just a few of the medical benefits of meditation. I would highly recommend you look into further benefits on your own, because I won't go into too much detail here.
To EndTo end off, I would just like to encourage you to go and try one or two meditations. If you find you like it, look into more forms of meditation. If you want to know all of the benefits of meditation, I would highly recommend looking up some articles on the topic. So, have a good time meditating, and keep on writing!
Where Do Ideas Come From?Something I get asked relatively frequently is "Where do you get your ideas? What gives you inspiration for your writing?" Well, I'm here to talk to you about ideas today. More specifically, sources of ideas. To start, lets talk about some of the places I've found inspiration and ideas. Where My Ideas Have Come FromWe can't start talking about ideas without going into where the idea for Stones of the Middle Lands: The Castaway Hero came from. Well, That's a long story, pun-intended. It all started years ago when my mom decided to have me construct a map of a made up place. As you can probably guess, this turned into the early map of The Middle Lands. From there, I was inspired to actually write a book by a lovely young author named McKenzie Wagner. And it kind of snowballed from there. Another interesting place I found an idea is in something my family does. Whenever there is something like a fire, explosion, or large police presence, my family has a tendency to run towards the danger to investigate. As I thought on that one night after we had run toward some danger, I had an idea for a book series. Now I can't say too much about it, in order to protect the idea for the series in the future, but I can tell you this: The main character in that series is heavily based on the idea of running toward danger instead of away from it. The place I got the idea for my short story, Hunted: A Revolutionary Short Story, is an entirely different source. That story idea came from an extra credit opportunity for school. Over fall break, I had the chance to write a historical fiction short story for a bit of extra credit. I hadn't really considered trying my hand at a historical fiction, so of course I took the opportunity. We had recently been studying the Revolutionary War in U.S. History, so I wondered, how would a story in the revolutionary war look if it were told by a Torie?(born american that sympathized with the British.) And thus the idea for the story was born. Where Can You Find Inspiration?So as you can see by the examples up above, inspiration and ideas can come from anywhere. Some other places you may find inspiration could be nature, things laying around the house, family, friends, even just everyday life. The key is looking for a story wherever you are. If you learn to find stories in everyday life, you can tell those stories on the page(or computer, however you write stories.) You could try observing something like two squirrels in the park and narrating their story. I may just be going into some activities you can try to get ideas soon. So go out there and search for your next story. Please feel free to share places you've gotten story ideas in the comments down below! To EndI know, I know, just a bit more. But I have to fit in my obligatory schpeel somewhere. So I hope you found this article helpful, and that it will help you find ideas for your next story. If you want to read my first novel, The Castaway Hero, you can get it on Amazon HERE and through Barnes and Noble HERE. If you have any interest in reading Hunted, A Revolutionary Short Story, you can read it for free HERE. That's all folks, and until next time, keep on writing!
What is Teenage Thoughts On...?Teenage Thoughts On... is a series of articles I will be running for the foreseeable future. In it I will show you some of the thoughts of teenagers on some of the big issues and concepts, as well as some lighter things, including happiness, productivity, the meaning of life, and much more! We will begin with my thoughts, and then share the thoughts of other teenagers afterword. The point of these articles is to both provide you with food for thought and to show you just how awesome and in depth our youth today can be. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy! What Brings Lasting Joy?To start, I would like to state what I consider "lasting joy." Lasting joy is not being happy 100% of the time. It is the ability to be in the moment and maintain a sense of satisfaction and peace despite what may be happening around you. So what brings lasting joy, in my opinion? I believe (partially) that the key to lasting joy is all about maintaining perspective. If you are constantly looking back and are unsatisfied with how things went, you will not be happy. However, if you are living in the moment and understand that "this too shall pass", then you can live with the understand that this is not the end. If you maintain a good perspective on things, not lingering in the past or chomping at the bit for the future, then you can truly find lasting joy in the moment. Now, lets move on to the thoughts of some other teens! Lasting joy is not being happy 100% of the time. It is the ability to be in the moment and maintain a sense of satisfaction and peace despite what may be happening around you. -Ken Mears More Teenage Thoughts!Lasting happiness comes from our choice. Our choice to see good in the world. Our choice to not let our fears control us. Our choice to make those around us friends. -Shion C. 16, Oregon I think happiness is brought on by our ability to be fully present in each and every moment of life, for when we're not present we're often reminiscing about the past or worrying about the future. Whereas when we're fully present we can fully appreciate each and every one of the happy and beautiful moments which takes place in life, and we can even be able to more effectively handle bad moments as well so that they don't stick with us long term. - ZZ F. 14 I believe that as an individual we can find things that connect to our pasts that we can implement in the future. These can be certain meals, movies, or activities that bring connection and bridge a gateway from yesterday into tomorrow. Another important factor is the relationships that we form with the people around us. You can make ordinary circumstances an extraordinary experience with the right mindset and people around you. -Summer R. 16, Nevada I agree with what has been said, especially that lasting joy is a choice. Another big part is finding things that make you feel happy even when you're struggling, like music, reading, etc. I think the biggest factor, more important than anything, is the factor of people. Bringing others joy brings the best kind of happiness. The purest form of joy tends to come when you're with others, serving them, showing them love and care, and just being with them. Other factors are important too, but I feel really strongly that joy comes from giving to the people around you. -Olivia M. 17, Utah Some Final Words.I hope you all enjoyed and have a new appreciation of how deep teens can be! Please feel free to comment with your thoughts, and if you know any teenagers that would like to give input on deep topics, have them message me so we can get in touch. Also, just a reminder, you can buy my first novel, The Castaway Hero, HERE on Amazon and HERE at Barnes and Noble. Until next time, keep on writing!
You should say "I love you" more often. Yes, you on the computer, phone, or tablet reading this blog. Think back, when was the last time you told anyone you loved them? Was it a just earlier today? A few days ago? A week ago? Years ago? To start, you must remember what I mean by love, for which I would refer you to THIS article I wrote this last valentines day. So, now that you are refreshed on what I believe in as far as love, lets get into why you should say "I love you."
First of all, it tells people that, get this, you love them! You may think "of course my loved one knows I love them!" But often that isn't entirely the case. Sometimes you need to actually say it. This can make a huge difference in a loved ones day, brightening it knowing they are loved. Plus, who doesn't feel great after telling someone that they love them. Second, it can help you recognize and develop your own love toward others. They say actions speak louder than words, but I say the action of speaking speaks louder than your thoughts. Actually verbalizing your thoughts and feelings brings them out of the back of your mind to the forefront of reality. There was a time when I only told my family and very best friend that I loved them, but lately I have realized that I need to tell more of my friends that I love them. And as I have done so, I have felt my love for my other friends grow even deeper, leading to more connections. Which leads me to my third point, telling someone that you love them connects you and them. When you notify someone that you love them, they start thinking about how they love you. They begin to realize how much they mean to you, and how much you mean to them. This can spark change and lead to people wanting to do things for you and your relationship with them. As I mentioned, I have started getting into the habit of actually telling my friends that I love them, and when they have in turn told me they love me, I have wanted to do even more for our relationships. And better relationships build a better world. The last reason you should tell others you love them is because it strengthens our world. All too often when you hear about what is going on in the world, all you hear is the negativity, the wars, and the division. Based on my previous arguments about why you should say "I love you", consider what kind of world we would live in if people said "I love you" more often? Imagine how many conflicts could be avoided if instead of picking on someone or retaliating, you just took a deep breath and said "I love you."? So now that I have hopefully convinced you of the benefits of saying "I love you" more often, what will you do to implement it? What will you do in your life to change and spread the message of peace and love that is the phrase "I love you"? I would challenge you to try and say "I love you" to each and every person you see today, and see how how they react, and how they change. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments and what you have done to spread "I love you"'s to the world around you. Until next time, keep on writing, and I love each and every one of you! I hope you all enjoy this awesome first video of my new video side project: Project Inspiration. This one is about my journey into loving writing. Please leave a comment down below of what you think, subscribe, and until next time, keep on writing!
Hello all of you beautiful amazingly awesomesauce people! Earlier today I went with a bunch of my awesome friends to Topgolf. So I wanted to talk to you about the importance and value of friendship. There are two main things about friendship I want to talk about, and honestly this is mostly just me raving about my awesome friends. Friends in GroupsIn life there are often sudden opportunities that come up. Believe it or not, all of these people in these pictures came on very short notice. Me and my friend Maddy W, (yes, there are more than one Maddies in this group), decided we wanted to get some friends together and have some fun. So we invited everyone yesterday, with quite short notice and as you can see, we had an awesome turnout. It is so important to have a group of people that you can just call up and they will be ready to do something fun with you. You would not believe how awesome it is to be able to do that! It is so important to have a group of people you can call up at a moments notice to spend time with you! Individual FriendshipsI would like to also stress the importance of having individual friendships. While it is nice to have these friends together in large groups, there is something oh so important about having a person on person relationship. Each and every one of these people I have spent time with and found something in common with them. We all get along and trust each other because we know each other. In fact some of these people know things that very few others do about me. And yes, that is my little brother photo bombing in the background. In ConclusionSo in conclusion, I would encourage you to go out there and make some friends. Take a little time out of your busy schedule and do something with your friends. Push your comfort zone and be a social animal. I know for me I have had to push my comfort zone to befriend some of these amazing people, and some of them have pushed their comfort zones to befriend me. So go, do, and be social! Until next time, keep on writing!
Hello you amazing people! I hope you all had an amazing presidents day, and got to spend some well earned family time. I got the opportunity to spend all day ice fishing with some friends of mine, and I learned a few lessons I wanted to share with you! #1: PatienceI am sure many of you are familiar with this one, whether from being a parent, an avid fisher, or just any person who has to wait in a long line. When you are ice fishing, you have to be very patient in order to catch anything. Often times in our modern world we are greeted with instant gratification around every bend. When we order something on Amazon, we are annoyed when it doesn't have two or one day shipping. When a line is longer than you like, you may get impatient with those in front of you. I don't think the saying 'patience is a virtue' is one new to any of us. Something we must realize is that all good things require time. I mean, would you rather have an egg that was quickly cooked by barely touching the pan, or would you rather have an egg that was cooked over several minutes? I know that may seem like an odd example, but it brings up the thought about the value of putting a proper amount of time into things. #2: The importance of time in natureHave you ever noticed how little time we spend out in nature? In fact most people hardly go outside except to move between their car and other buildings. I have found it is truly amazing to be able to spend some time in the great outdoors. When we spend time in nature, we connect with our roots. We are able to just get away from it all and relax. Nature can serve as a source of inspiration as well, causing us to see and realize things we never did before. For me, nature has always been so essential for my thinking. Whether that be simply getting out of the house for a walk around the block, or a full blown week camping, I do some of my best thinking in nature. I think that most people lose that connection to thought, self, and nature amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life. #3: Just enjoy yourself and have funAnd last but not least, we need to have fun. After my brother caught a fish, I absolutely insisted that he start doing some silly poses with it. Often times, we get into this mindset of everything just has to be work, but that is not all there is to life. We need to take the time to just appreciate the simple moments, and let loose. A little bit of fun can go a long way to brighten your day the the day of those around you. A simple smile or laugh can make a huge difference in someones day. Smiles and laughter are contagious, and really they are healthy for you. The very action of smiling even a forced smile triggers your brain into being happy and releasing the so-called 'happiness chemicals' such as dopamine. Final ThoughtsI would just like to encourage all of you to apply what I learned to your life. Practice patience, connect with nature, and have some fun. Take a moment to think, go for a walk, and connect with someone through laughter. We all need more patience, nature, and smiles in our lives, so go and apply this to your life. I love to hear from you guys, so please comment down below what you do to connect with nature or practice patience, and tell me what you will do to apply these principles in your life! And while you're at it, bookmark this site and follow my pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Until next time, keep on writing!
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Welcome to The Writers Block!AuthorKen Mears is a new 17 year old author, here to share his wisdom, advice, and experiences with you, the reader! Archives
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